Chosen By The Lover's Constellation-Chapter 77: Names, Part Six

{October 23}

{Zura}

Zura spent most of the week’s usual low-rank course trying not to fall asleep.

Not because the class was just that uninteresting (though it certainly was) but because she had spent all of last night training, breaking a sweat in the Watchful’s gym.

Did that increase her attributes at all? No. If she could raise her attributes so quickly, she wouldn’t be in this course. But, it did help to take the edge off.

Zura couldn’t deny it. She was nervous. Extremely so. Clearly, her boss had something up his sleeve. Some sort of underhanded plan that she was playing into. But, she had no choice. All she could do was play along and hope that, if she got paid, she’d get paid the full sum she was promised.

It was an awful position to be in, but, at the end of the day, that was pretty much her life. Just one awful position after another.

"Psst."

As Instructor Walker went on about how to properly saddle and equip a high-rank player’s sear for them, Lianna leaned in a little and whispered to Zura.

"Mm?"

"You wanna hang out later?"

Zura’s eyes roamed Lianna’s own, looking for a reason why she’d possibly want to do that. She hadn’t exactly treated the girl with any real kindness so far, and yet, Lianna seemed so determined to want to talk to her.

It was enough to make Zura feel even more tired.

However, for reasons her mind refused to share with her, she found herself responding:

"Sure."

"Yes!" Lianna whispered a victory cry.

[Good god, this girl is a dork.] Zura smirked, a little amused. [Just looking at her, I didn’t imagine she’d be this silly.]

At first glance, all Lianna looked like to Zura was a basic bitch. The type of girl who, back in the slums, would sleep her way to the top and be completely unapologetic about it.

[But, no. Hell, she’s actually married too. I guess looks can be deceiving.]

The rest of the class passed in a blink, with the two of them trading little jokes back and forth.

It was... fun.

Soon, the two of them were outside the Watchful’s headquarters.

"Yeah," Lianna said on the phone. "Yep, exactly. I’ll bring you something nice! Don’t miss me too much~"

Presumably, she was speaking to her wife. With a satisfied look, Lianna hung the phone up.

"Okay, that’s done. So, you got any place in mind?" 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"Nope," Zura replied.

"I’ll pick a place then. Hope you don’t mind Garridite food."

"It’s fine." The one advantage, if it could even be called that, to being broke most of her life was that Zura was the very antithesis of a picky eater.

"Cool."

She took her to a place called The Diving Sear, a reference to the tendency those animals had of dive-bombing terrestrial prey.

The food was... fine. Nothing to write home about at all.

Which, of course, meant that Zura cleaned her plate.

"Wow," Lianna remarked with a giggle. "Liked it that much, huh?"

"No." As Zura wiped her lips, she almost worried she’d throw up from how much she ate. "How much do I need to pay you?"

Lianna blinked.

"Zero."

"Bullshit. Come on, how much?"

"Uh, Zura," Lianna scratched the back of her head with an awkward smile. "I kinda have more money than I know what to do with right now. You don’t need to pay me anything. I just hope you enjoyed your meal!"

To put it simply, that wasn’t something Zura could relate to.

[Oh, right. Isn’t her wife some rich kid from Garriden or something? Hm...] Zura held back a sigh. [Fuck, I wish I was that lucky.]

The streets buzzed with activity as Lianna and Zura soon strolled back toward the Guild headquarters. The glow of holographic signs reflected in the puddles, casting an ethereal glow on the pavement. It had rained just a bit ago.

Lianna, her energy seemingly boundless, nudged Zura playfully with her elbow.

"You know, Zura, I’m thinking we make this a regular thing. Hanging out, grabbing a bite to eat, maybe causing a little trouble together."

Zura shot her a sidelong glance, a hint of a smirk on her lips.

"Trouble, huh? What exactly is your idea of a good time?"

Lianna chuckled.

"Meh. Nothing but trying to inject a bit of fun into your life."

Zura raised an eyebrow.

"I’m not so sure I want whatever ’fun’ you’re promising."

Lianna grinned.

"You say that now, but I think I have a talent for finding ways to pass the time. Come on, admit it, you enjoyed our little meal, right?"

Zura’s expression remained stoic, but she failed to stop a flicker of amusement from passing through her visage.

"It was fine. Just fine."

Lianna’s laughter felt like it was echoing in Zura’s ears, even in the busy streets.

"Ah, so we went from ’no, I didn’t like it’ to ’it was fine’? Progress!"

[Goddammit.]

"Sounds to me like you’ve got to learn to appreciate the finer things in life, Zura. Like good food, good company... the thrill of the unexpected."

Zura pulled back a little.

[... Is it just me or does she sound extremely flirty?]

As they roamed through the guild’s halls, however, Zura’s heart rate quickened, as if eager to escape the conversation.

Undeterred, Lianna continued to walk alongside her.

"Hey, I thought we made a pretty good team back on that mission we went on. You wanna take a few more on together, sometime? Tomorrow, maybe?"

Zura sighed, her gaze fixed ahead.

"Look, Lianna, I appreciate the offer, but I’ve got things to take care of. The assessment... it’s a big deal for me. I can’t afford to be distracted."

Lianna nodded, though a hint of disappointment lingered in her eyes.

"Fair enough. But after the assessment, we’re doing something fun together. Deal?"

Zura hesitated, her gaze softening for a moment.

"We’ll see."

That answer only made Lianna’s disappointment grow.

The entrance to the Guild loomed ahead, and Zura slowed down.

"Okay, I think I should probably head back home."

"You’re not staying at the guild?"

"Nah." Somewhat awkwardly, Zura half-turned. Goodbyes weren’t something she was used to. "By the way... Hanging out with you wasn’t extremely painful. So, there’s that."

Lianna smiled warmly.

"What a compliment."

"It’s the best you’re gonna get from me," Zura shrugged. A ghost of a smile played on Zura’s lips. "See ya."

Lianna raised a hand.

"... Later."

Zura’s gaze met Lianna’s, and for a fleeting moment, a tinge of vulnerability surfaced.

[Making friends, huh?] Zura shook her head. [Nah... This is just a waste of time.]

---

As much as she just wanted to keep her head down and move along, Zura felt she couldn’t do that.

She was clearly walking into something big. And, she needed to know what it was.

The air in the dimly lit alley clung to Zura’s tan skin as she pulled the hood of her cloak lower, obscuring her features in shadows. Her footsteps echoed off the narrow walls as she navigated the stagnant pathways, heading toward a figure only people from the city’s dark side knew.

The information broker.

No one knew too much about this guy. Only that, for a price, he was willing to sell knowledge. He wasn’t all-knowing but the quality of information he provided had both started and ended gang wars, which was more than enough to validate his resume.

Zura’s thoughts churned with uncertainty. The assignment had been handed to her with a promise of riches, but the lack of details gnawed at her.

Now, with the Annual Player Assessment looming, the need for information pressed upon her like a vice.

The entrance to the information broker’s den was inconspicuous, marked only by a faded symbol etched into the brickwork. Zura hesitated for a moment.

Then, she took a steadying breath and pushed the creaking door open.

The interior was dimly lit, the air heavy with the scent of lingering incense. A hooded figure sat behind a makeshift desk, fingers tapping rhythmically on the aged wood. As Zura approached, the broker looked up, a pair of piercing eyes studying her from the depths of the hood.

"Ah, if it isn’t the Hellans’ daughter. What brings you here?" the broker’s voice, a low murmur, cut through the stillness.

Zura slid a small pouch of royals across the desk.

"Information. About a job. Involving the Annual Player Assessment."

The broker’s fingers danced over the pouch, and a sly smile played on his lips. Zura could feel his stare from behind his round glasses.

"You understand that, given your family tree, that information won’t come cheap, right?"

Zura nodded, her jaw set.

"What can you give me for this much?"

Zura threw every royal she had on the table.

If she was going to be the one going to jail for whatever her gang had planned, or if she wasn’t going to be making it out of this mission alive, then she figured she might as well throw away all of her money.

The broker leaned back, studying Zura with an intensity that sent shivers down her spine.

"The job involves the president."

[What?]

Zura’s eyes narrowed.

"That’s it? What about the details? What’s going to happen?"

The broker chuckled, the sound echoing through the dim chamber.

"What you paid doesn’t even come close to the amount you’d need to hear about that."

And, just like that, Zura left.

As the door creaked shut behind her, Zura stepped back into the alley, her mind a tempest of conflicting emotions.

[The president...? But, what the fuck could they want with her?]

The meager information provided did little to ease her unease. The president was involved, but that was literally all she learned.

[Agh, man... How big is this?]

The hooded cloak clung to her form as she merged with the shadows, her steps carrying her back into the brightly lit midnight streets.

The weight of the impending assessment and the ominous task ahead pressed upon her shoulders.

More than anything else, Zura couldn’t shake the feeling that this was all going to go horribly wrong.

For her, anyway.